JP2019024204A - Content viewing system, portable terminal and content reception method - Google Patents

Abstract

To allow a user to view the program content stably.SOLUTION: A content viewing system S includes a portable terminal 1 capable of receiving a content from a receiver 7, via a wireless network N1, and a network N3 with which the receiver 7 receiving the content is connected, and a content provision device different from the receiver 7. The portable terminal 1 has a movement determination part for determining whether or not the portable terminal 1 is moving, and a transmission request part for requesting the receiver 7 to transmit a content when the movement determination part determines that the portable terminal 1 is not moving, otherwise requesting a content provision device to transmit a content. When transmission of a content is requested from the portable terminal 1, the content provision device transmits the content to the portable terminal 1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a content viewing system, a portable terminal, and a content receiving method.

  In recent years, a remote viewing service has been provided that allows a program recorded on a terminal or the like installed in a user's house to be remotely viewed via a network by a mobile terminal or the like (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In this remote viewing service, a terminal that is accessed from the outdoors is registered in advance as a registration terminal in a television broadcast receiving terminal or NAS (Network Attached Storage) server installed in the house. Then, the receiving terminal or NAS server transmits the recorded program content or the program content being broadcast to the registration terminal via the uplink and the Internet in response to an instruction from the registration terminal.

JP 2008-244656 A

  By the way, when a cable TV provider provides a remote viewing service, a user installs a set top box (STB: Set Top Box, hereinafter referred to as STB) lent from the cable TV provider and installs the STB. Remotely watch program content recorded in

  In order to stably receive program content transmitted from the STB at the registration terminal, it is necessary to provide a stable band in the communication path from the STB to the registration terminal. This communication path includes a network managed by a cable television company in accordance with DOCSIS (Data Over Cable Service Interface Specifications) and a wireless network from a mobile terminal to a base station.

  Since these networks have greatly different characteristics, the congestion time in each network is also greatly different. For example, in a commuting time period, traffic in a wireless network increases greatly, and in a time period adjacent to the commuting time period (for example, before going to work or after returning home), traffic in a network managed by a cable television operator Greatly increases. In a network managed by a cable television company, approximately 500 to 1000 users share a network bandwidth under one node. For this reason, depending on the time zone and the congestion situation at the node, the communication speed from the STB to the registered terminal may not be sufficient.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of these points, and an object thereof is to provide a content viewing system, a portable terminal, and a content receiving method that allow a user to view program content stably.

  The content viewing system according to the first aspect of the present invention includes a mobile terminal capable of receiving the content from the receiver via a wireless network and a network to which a receiver that receives the content is connected, and the reception A content viewing system comprising a content providing device different from the device, wherein the mobile terminal is configured to determine whether the mobile terminal is moving or not, and a movement determination unit that determines whether the mobile terminal is moving. When it is determined that the mobile terminal is not moving, the receiver is requested to transmit the content, and when the mobile terminal is determined to be moving, the content providing apparatus is requested to transmit the content. A transmission request unit, and when the content providing device requests transmission of the content from the mobile terminal, the content providing device transmits the content to the mobile To send the end of the.

  The content providing device stores a plurality of quality contents corresponding to the one content, and when transmission of the content is requested from the mobile terminal, the mobile terminal among the plurality of quality contents corresponding to the content The content corresponding to the quality suitable for the communication status with the terminal may be transmitted to the mobile terminal.

  A mobile terminal according to a second aspect of the present invention is a mobile terminal capable of receiving the content from the receiver via a wireless network and a network to which a receiver that receives the content is connected. A movement determination unit that determines whether or not the portable terminal is moving, and when the movement determination unit determines that the portable terminal is not moving, requests the receiver to transmit the content; A transmission requesting unit that requests transmission of the content to a content providing apparatus different from the receiver when it is determined that the mobile terminal is moving.

  The transmission request further comprising: a first specifying unit that specifies a downlink communication speed to the mobile terminal in the wireless network; and a second specifying unit that specifies an uplink communication rate from the receiver in the network. The unit specifies the quality of the content suitable for viewing the content based on the downlink communication speed and the uplink communication speed when it is determined that the mobile terminal is not moving, and the reception The machine may request transmission of the content of the specified quality.

  The first specifying unit may acquire information indicating a communication type of the wireless network and specify the downlink communication speed based on the communication type.

  The wireless network is provided with a wireless communication control device that controls communication in the wireless network, and the first specifying unit measures the downlink by measuring a round trip time with the wireless communication control device. The communication speed may be specified.

  The network is provided with a communication monitoring device that monitors communication in the network, and the second specifying unit acquires information indicating the uplink communication speed from the communication monitoring device, thereby obtaining the uplink. The communication speed may be specified.

  The mobile terminal further includes a notification unit that notifies the user of the mobile terminal of information specifying the communication quality of the wireless network and the network based on the downlink communication speed and the uplink communication speed. May be.

  The notifying unit communicates each of the wireless network and the network when at least one of the downlink communication speed and the uplink communication speed is insufficient for a communication speed required for viewing the content. Information specifying the quality may be notified to the user of the mobile terminal, and the user may be presented to view the content via a content providing apparatus different from the receiver.

  The mobile terminal further includes a third specifying unit that specifies a load status of the content providing device, and the notification unit views the content via the content providing device based on the load status of the content providing device. The viewing method of the content at the time of performing may be presented.

  A content reception method according to a third aspect of the present invention is a content reception method in which a mobile terminal receives content, the mobile terminal determining whether or not it is moving, and the mobile If the terminal determines that it is not moving, the terminal requests the receiver that is connected to the network and receives the content to transmit the content via the wireless network and the network, and is moving And requesting the content providing apparatus different from the receiver to transmit the content via the wireless network, and the receiver requests transmission of the content from the portable terminal. A step of transmitting the content to the mobile terminal via the wireless network and the network; and When the content providing device is requested to transmit the content from the portable terminal, the step of transmitting the content to the portable terminal via the wireless network; and the portable terminal is the receiver or the content providing device. Receiving the content from.

  According to the present invention, there is an effect that the user can stably view the program content.

It is a figure which shows the structure and surrounding environment of the content viewing-and-listening system which concern on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the portable terminal which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the message which the notification part which concerns on 1st Embodiment notifies. It is a figure which shows the structure of the communication monitoring apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the information memorize | stored in node traffic DB which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the receiver which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a sequence diagram at the time of remotely viewing program content from the mobile terminal according to the first embodiment. FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram following FIG. 7. It is a figure which shows the structure of the receiver which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure and surrounding environment of the content viewing-and-listening system which concern on 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the portable terminal which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the message which the notification part which concerns on 3rd Embodiment notifies. It is a figure which shows the structure of the portable terminal which concerns on 4th Embodiment.

<First Embodiment>
The first embodiment of the present invention will be described below.
[Configuration of Content Viewing System S]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration and a surrounding environment of a content viewing system S according to the first embodiment. The content viewing system S includes a mobile terminal 1, a wireless communication control device 2, a communication monitoring device 4, and a receiver 7. The content viewing system S is a system for allowing the mobile terminal 1 to remotely view program content and the like stored in the receiver 7.

  The wireless communication control device 2 is provided in a wireless network N1 such as a cellular phone network, and controls communication in the wireless network N1. The portable terminal 1 is connected to the wireless communication control device 2 via the wireless base station 3.

  The communication monitoring device 4 is a server provided in a cable television center station. The communication monitoring device 4 is connected to a CMTS (Cable Modem Termination System) 5 which is a device for connecting a cable television network N2 as a wired network to a network N3 such as the Internet. The communication monitoring device 4 monitors communication traffic in the cable television network N2. For example, the communication monitoring device 4 measures the uplink congestion status from the receiver 7.

  The CMTS 5 is connected to a plurality of node amplifiers 6 through an optical transmission device (not shown), and constitutes a cable television network N2 managed by a cable television operator in accordance with DOCSIS. The CMTS 5 controls communication of the plurality of receivers 7 connected to each of the plurality of node amplifiers 6 via the cable television network N2. The CMTS 5 is connected to the wireless communication control device 2 via the network N3.

  The receiver 7 is a TV receiving terminal provided in a home of a user who uses cable television, and is, for example, a set-top box provided to the user by a cable television operator. In the present embodiment, the receiver 7 receives program content broadcasted by a broadcasting station or a cable television operator and displays the program content on a display such as a television. Further, the receiver 7 records the program content in accordance with a user instruction, and stores the program content in a storage unit provided in the receiver 7 or a storage device (not shown) connected to the receiver 7. In response to the remote viewing request from the mobile terminal 1 registered in advance, the receiver 7 transmits the program content to the mobile terminal 1.

  The mobile terminal 1 is, for example, a mobile phone such as a smartphone owned by the user of the receiver 7. When the mobile terminal 1 is located outside the user's home where the receiver 7 is installed, the mobile terminal 1 accesses the receiver 7 via the wireless network N1, the network N3, and the cable television network N2, and the receiver 7 It is possible to remotely view the program content stored in the program content and the program content being received by the receiver 7.

  By the way, the characteristics of these networks are greatly different, and the time of congestion in each network is also greatly different. In the cable television network N2 managed by the cable television operator, about 500 to 1000 users share the network bandwidth for one node amplifier 6. For this reason, depending on the time zone and the congestion situation at the node, the communication speed from the receiver 7 to the portable terminal 1 may not be sufficient for viewing the program content.

In this case, the content viewing system S according to the present embodiment identifies the respective communication speeds of the wireless network N1 and the cable television network N2, and when either communication speed is not suitable for remote viewing of program content, The mobile terminal 1 is notified of information indicating which network is slow. As a result, the user can grasp the status of each network based on the notification and take an action for viewing the program content satisfactorily.
Hereinafter, configurations of the mobile terminal 1, the communication monitoring device 4, and the receiver 7 will be described.

[Configuration example of mobile terminal 1]
First, the functional configuration of the mobile terminal 1 will be described. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of the mobile terminal 1 according to the present embodiment. The mobile terminal 1 includes a display unit 11, an input unit 12, a storage unit 13, and a control unit 14.

The display unit 11 is configured by, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display. The display unit 11 displays the program content received from the receiver 7 under the control of the control unit 14.
The input unit 12 includes, for example, a button, a contact sensor arranged corresponding to the display unit 11, and receives an operation input from the user of the mobile terminal 1.

  The storage unit 13 is configured by, for example, a ROM and a RAM. The storage unit 13 stores various programs for causing the mobile terminal 1 to function. Specifically, the storage unit 13 causes the mobile terminal 1 to operate as the content selection unit 141, the first specification unit 142, the second specification unit 143, the notification unit 144, the transmission request unit 145, and the display control unit 146. Store the control program.

  The control part 14 is comprised by CPU, for example. The control unit 14 controls functions related to the mobile terminal 1 by executing various programs stored in the storage unit 13. The control unit 14 includes a content selection unit 141, a first specification unit 142, a second specification unit 143, a notification unit 144, a transmission request unit 145, and a display control unit 146.

  When the mobile terminal 1 is outside the home and the input unit 12 performs an operation to access the receiver 7, the content selection unit 141 is connected via the wireless network N1, the network N3, and the cable television network N2. Then, a content list acquisition request is transmitted to the receiver 7. Upon receiving the content list acquisition request, the receiver 7 generates a content list and transmits the content list to the mobile terminal 1. Further, the receiver 7 transmits transcode information indicating the capability related to the transmission of the program content at the present time (for example, the capability of converting the program content). Note that the receiver 7 transmits only the content list without transmitting the transcode information when the program content cannot be converted due to competition with other processing or the like.

  Thereafter, the content selection unit 141 receives the content list from the receiver 7, displays the content list on the display unit 11, and accepts selection of program content included in the content list from the user. The content selection unit 141 selects program content in response to a program content selection operation by the user.

  The first specifying unit 142 specifies the downlink communication speed to the mobile terminal 1 in the wireless network N1. Specifically, the first specifying unit 142 acquires information indicating the communication type of the wireless network N1 in response to the content selection unit 141 selecting the program content, and the downlink communication speed based on the communication type Is identified.

  The case where the OS (Operating System) of the mobile terminal 1 is Android (registered trademark) will be described. The first specifying unit 142 acquires information indicating the communication type of the wireless network N1 using the ConnectivityManager class. For example, the first specifying unit 142 specifies that the wireless network N1 is any one of an LTE (Long Term Evolution) line, a Wi-Fi (registered trademark), a WiMax (registered trademark), and a 3G line. And the 1st specific | specification part 142 specifies the communication speed previously linked | related with these communication types.

  In addition, although the 1st specific | specification part 142 acquired the information which shows the communication classification of the wireless network N1, and specified the downlink communication speed based on the said communication classification, it is not restricted to this. The first specifying unit 142 may specify the communication speed based on the radio wave intensity of the radio wave received by the mobile terminal 1 from the radio base station 3.

  The second specifying unit 143 specifies the uplink communication speed from the receiver 7 in the cable television network N2. Specifically, the second specifying unit 143 transmits an acquisition request for acquiring the uplink communication speed from the receiver 7 to the communication monitoring device 4 in response to the content selection unit 141 selecting the program content. . The acquisition request includes a receiver ID for identifying the receiver 7, and the communication monitoring device 4 specifies the uplink communication speed from the receiver 7 based on the receiver ID and determines the mobile terminal. 1 to send. The second specifying unit 143 specifies the uplink communication speed from the receiver 7 by acquiring information indicating the uplink communication speed from the receiver 7 from the communication monitoring device 4.

  Note that the second specifying unit 143 may acquire information indicating the estimated uplink communication speed from the receiver 7 from the traffic volume of the node that the CMTS 5 constantly monitors. That is, since the CMTS 5 of the center station always knows the total traffic volume of the subordinate nodes, the communication monitoring device 4 is based on the traffic volume that the CMTS 5 knows in response to receiving the acquisition request. The uplink communication speed may be estimated from the congestion status of the node to which the receiver 7 belongs, and the notification speed may be notified to the mobile terminal 1.

  When the content selection unit 141 selects the program content, the notification unit 144 selects the wireless network N1 and the wireless network N1 based on the downlink communication speed specified by the first specification unit 142 and the uplink communication speed specified by the second specification unit 143. Information specifying the communication quality of each of the cable television networks N2 is notified to the user of the portable terminal 1.

  Specifically, the notification unit 144 transmits each of the downlink communication speed specified by the first specification unit 142 and the uplink communication speed specified by the second specification unit 143 from the receiver 7 in the mobile terminal 1. It is determined whether or not a communication speed (hereinafter referred to as a reference speed) required for viewing the content to be played is satisfied. The notification unit 144 determines that the communication speed is sufficient when it is determined that the reference speed is exceeded, and determines that the communication speed is insufficient when it is determined that the reference speed is not exceeded.

  The notification unit 144 determines the communication quality based on whether the communication speed is sufficient for each of the downlink communication speed specified by the first specification unit 142 and the uplink communication speed specified by the second specification unit 143. 3 is displayed by displaying a different message shown in FIG. 3 on the display unit 11.

  For example, when the downlink communication rate specified by the first specification unit 142 is sufficient and the uplink communication rate specified by the second specification unit 143 is insufficient, the notification unit 144 changes the time again to remotely A message to try viewing or to turn off the service being used in the receiver 7 and try remote viewing again is notified.

  The notification unit 144 receives the mobile terminal 1 when the downlink communication speed specified by the first specification unit 142 is insufficient and the uplink communication speed specified by the second specification unit 143 is sufficient. The remote reception is tried again at a place where the reception status of the radio wave to be improved, or a message indicating that the remote viewing is tried again by switching to another communication method is notified.

  The notification unit 144 notifies the user of the mobile terminal 1 of information specifying the communication quality of each of the wireless network N1 and the cable television network N2 in response to the content selection unit 141 selecting the program content. Not exclusively. For example, when the display control unit 146 to be described later displays the program content on the display unit 11, the program content is not displayed on the display unit 11 due to a communication delay or the like, or is difficult to display. Information specifying the communication quality of each of the wireless network N1 and the cable television network N2 may be notified to the user of the mobile terminal 1. By doing in this way, the user of the portable terminal 1 can grasp the reason why the program content is not displayed while viewing the program content, and can take an appropriate action to view the program content.

  Further, the notification unit 144 may notify information indicating image quality that can be converted by the receiver 7 without delay, based on the transcode information received from the receiver 7. Further, when the mobile terminal 1 cannot receive the transcode information from the receiver 7 because the receiver 7 cannot convert the program content, the notification unit 144 converts the program content in the receiver 7. You may notify the message which shows that it cannot carry out.

  After the notification unit 144 notifies the message, the transmission request unit 145 requests the receiver 7 for a remote viewing request including a content ID for identifying the program content when an operation for viewing the program content is performed by the input unit 12. To do. At this time, the transmission request unit 145 determines the program content suitable for viewing the program content based on the downlink communication speed specified by the first specification unit 142 and the uplink communication speed specified by the second specification unit 143. The quality may be specified, and the receiver 7 may be requested to transmit program content having the specified quality.

For example, the transmission request unit 145 determines the program content when it is determined that at least one of the downlink communication speed specified by the first specification unit 142 and the uplink communication speed specified by the second specification unit 143 is insufficient. When the viewing operation is performed, the quality suitable for viewing the program content is specified as the low image quality or the low bit rate. The transmission request unit 145 performs an operation of viewing program content when it is determined that both the downlink communication speed specified by the first specification unit 142 and the uplink communication speed specified by the second specification unit 143 are sufficient. When this is done, the quality suitable for viewing the program content is specified as high image quality and high bit rate. The transmission request unit 145 transmits a remote viewing request including the specified quality to the receiver 7. In response to receiving the remote viewing request, the receiver 7 generates streaming data of the program content based on the quality specified by the transmission request unit 145 and transmits it to the mobile terminal 1.
The display control unit 146 receives the program content transmitted by the receiver 7 in response to the request from the transmission request unit 145 and causes the display unit 11 to display the program content.

[Configuration Example of Communication Monitoring Device 4]
Next, the configuration of the communication monitoring device 4 will be described. FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of the communication monitoring apparatus 4 according to the present embodiment. The communication monitoring device 4 includes a storage unit 41 and a control unit 42.
The storage unit 41 is configured by, for example, a ROM and a RAM. The storage unit 41 stores various programs for causing the communication monitoring device 4 to function. In addition, the storage unit 41 stores a node traffic DB 411 indicating the uplink communication speed corresponding to each of the plurality of node amplifiers 6. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in the node traffic DB 411. As shown in FIG. 5, the node traffic DB 411 stores a node ID for identifying a node, an uplink communication speed at the node, and a receiver ID of the receiver 7 associated with the node in association with each other. Yes.

  The control part 42 is comprised by CPU, for example. The control unit 42 controls functions related to the communication monitoring device 4 by executing various programs stored in the storage unit 41. The control unit 42 includes a monitoring unit 421, an acquisition unit 422, and a transmission unit 423.

  The monitoring unit 421 measures the uplink communication speed from the receiver 7. Specifically, the monitoring unit 421 measures the uplink communication speed from the receiver 7 by monitoring the traffic flowing through the CMTS 5 and measuring the uplink communication speed corresponding to each node amplifier 6. The monitoring unit 421 associates and stores the node ID for identifying the node amplifier 6, the communication speed in the node amplifier 6, and the receiver ID of the receiver 7 associated with the node amplifier 6 in the node traffic DB 411.

  Note that the monitoring unit 421 first monitors the congestion status of each node, and then the node to which the receiver 7 belongs based on the total traffic volume of the node, which is grasped by the CMTS 5 of the center station. The uplink communication speed may be estimated from the congestion situation.

The acquisition unit 422 receives an acquisition request for acquiring a communication speed from the mobile terminal 1, and, based on the receiver ID included in the acquisition request, the upstream from the receiver 7 corresponding to the receiver ID. Specify the communication speed. Specifically, the acquisition unit 422 refers to the node traffic DB 411 and identifies the communication speed associated with the received receiver ID.
The transmission unit 423 transmits information indicating the communication speed acquired by the acquisition unit 422 to the mobile terminal 1 that has transmitted the acquisition request.

[Configuration Example of Receiver 7]
Next, the configuration of the receiver 7 will be described. FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of the receiver 7 according to the present embodiment. The receiver 7 includes a storage unit 71 and a control unit 72.
The memory | storage part 71 is comprised by ROM, RAM, etc., for example. The storage unit 71 stores various programs for causing the receiver 7 to function. In addition, the storage unit 71 stores a program content DB 711 that stores program content provided by the broadcasting station or the cable television operator, which is received via the CMTS 5.

  The control part 72 is comprised by CPU, for example. The control unit 72 controls functions related to the receiver 7 by executing various programs stored in the storage unit 71. The control unit 72 includes a storage control unit 721, a remote viewing reception unit 722, and a transmission unit 723.

The storage control unit 721 receives program content via the CMTS 5 according to a user's recording instruction, and stores the program content in the program content DB 711.
The remote viewing receiving unit 722 receives a remote viewing request for program content from the mobile terminal 1 via the CMTS 5.
In response to acceptance of the remote viewing request, the transmission unit 723 selects program content based on the content ID included in the remote viewing request, and generates streaming data. The transmission unit 723 transmits the generated streaming data to the mobile terminal 1 via the CMTS 5.

[Sequence for remote viewing of program content]
Next, the flow of processing related to remote viewing of program content in the content viewing system S will be described. FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram when the program content is remotely viewed from the mobile terminal 1 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram following FIG. The mobile terminal 1 is assumed to be located outside the user's house.

First, the content selection unit 141 of the mobile terminal 1 transmits a content list acquisition request to the receiver 7 in response to an operation for accessing the receiver 7.
Subsequently, the receiver 7 generates a content list in response to receiving the content list acquisition request (S10), and transmits the content list to the mobile terminal 1.
Subsequently, the mobile terminal 1 receives the content list, and the user selects a program content based on the content list (S20).

Subsequently, the first specifying unit 142 of the mobile terminal 1 specifies the downlink communication speed to the mobile terminal 1 in the wireless network N1 (S30).
Subsequently, the second specifying unit 143 transmits an acquisition request for acquiring the uplink communication speed from the receiver 7 to the communication monitoring device 4.

  Subsequently, when receiving the acquisition request, the communication monitoring device 4 refers to the node traffic DB 411 and specifies the uplink communication speed from the receiver 7 based on the receiver ID included in the acquisition request (S40). . The communication monitoring device 4 transmits communication speed information indicating the communication speed to the mobile terminal 1. The second specifying unit 143 specifies the uplink communication speed from the receiver 7 by receiving the communication speed information.

  Subsequently, the notification unit 144 performs communication of each of the wireless network N1 and the cable television network N2 based on the downlink communication speed specified by the first specification unit 142 and the uplink communication speed specified by the second specification unit 143. Information specifying the quality is notified to the user of the portable terminal 1 (S50).

  Subsequently, the description will be shifted to FIG. The transmission request unit 145 determines whether or not an operation for viewing the program content has been performed by the input unit 12 (S60). When determining that the operation has been performed, the transmission request unit 145 requests the receiver 7 for a remote viewing request for the program content. At this time, the transmission request unit 145 specifies the quality of the program content suitable for viewing the program content, and requests the receiver 7 to transmit the program content having the specified quality.

The receiver 7 selects program content based on the content ID included in the remote viewing request, and generates streaming data of the selected program content (S70). The receiver 7 transmits the generated streaming data to the mobile terminal 1.
When receiving the streaming data, the display control unit 146 of the portable terminal 1 displays the program content on the display unit 11 based on the streaming data (S80).

[Effect in the first embodiment]
As described above, the mobile terminal 1 according to the present embodiment uses the wireless network N1 and the cable television based on the downlink communication speed specified by the first specification unit 142 and the uplink communication speed specified by the second specification unit 143. Information specifying each communication quality of the network N2 is notified to the user of the mobile terminal 1. By doing in this way, the portable terminal 1 can give an appropriate guidance so that the user can grasp the situation of the wireless network N1 and the cable television network N2. The user of the portable terminal 1 can grasp the situation of the wireless network N1 and the cable television network N2, and can take an optimum action even when the program content cannot be viewed remotely.

Second Embodiment
[Specify the communication speed based on the round trip time]
Next, the second embodiment will be described. The content viewing system S according to the second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the method for specifying the communication speed, and is otherwise the same.

Specifically, the 1st specific | specification part 142 which concerns on 2nd Embodiment transmits a Ping command with respect to the radio | wireless communication control apparatus 2, and measures a round trip time (RTT: Round-Trip Time). Then, the first specifying unit 142 specifies the communication speed based on the measurement result.
The second specifying unit 143 according to the second embodiment transmits an acquisition request for the uplink communication speed to the receiver 7 and receives information indicating the uplink communication speed from the receiver 7.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the receiver 7 according to the second embodiment. The receiver 7 according to the second embodiment further includes a communication speed specifying unit 724. For example, the communication speed specifying unit 724 transmits a Ping command to the communication monitoring device 4 or the CMTS 5 in response to receiving an uplink communication speed acquisition request in the receiver 7 from the mobile terminal 1 via the CMTS 5. Measure the round trip time. Then, the communication speed specifying unit 724 specifies the communication speed based on the measurement result, and transmits information indicating the communication speed to the mobile terminal 1.

[Effects of Second Embodiment]
As described above, the mobile terminal 1 according to the present embodiment specifies the communication speed based on the round trip time. Further, the mobile terminal 1 specifies the uplink communication speed from the receiver 7 by receiving information indicating the communication speed specified based on the round trip time in the receiver 7. Since the round trip time and the communication speed are correlated, the mobile terminal 1 can specify the communication speed with high accuracy based on the round trip time.

<Third Embodiment>
[Show switch to VOD server 8 when communication speed is insufficient]
Subsequently, the third embodiment will be described. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration and a surrounding environment of the content viewing system S according to the third embodiment.

  In the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, a plurality of VOD (Video On Demand) servers 8 serving as content providing apparatuses different from the receiver 7 are provided as the surrounding environment of the content viewing system S. The VOD server 8 is, for example, a server operated by a broadcasting station, and is provided corresponding to each of a plurality of broadcasting stations that provide program content. The VOD server 8 provides a VOD service that provides program content after the end of broadcasting, and allows viewing of program content that the user has missed. The VOD server 8 is connected to the network N3.

  In the content viewing system S in the third embodiment, when the notification unit 144 of the mobile terminal 1 has an insufficient communication speed specified by the first specifying unit 142 or the second specifying unit 143, the program content acquisition destination Is different from the second embodiment in that switching from the receiver 7 to the VOD server 8 is presented, and the other points are the same. Hereinafter, the content viewing system S according to the third embodiment will be described. The description of the same configuration as that of the second embodiment is omitted.

  The wireless communication control device 2 according to the third embodiment functions as a response time measurement device, periodically transmits a Ping command to each of the plurality of VOD servers 8, and measures the round trip time. Then, the wireless communication control device 2 specifies the congestion status of the service provided by the VOD server 8 based on the measurement result.

  Moreover, the portable terminal 1 which concerns on 3rd Embodiment is provided with the 3rd specific | specification part 147 which specifies the congestion condition (load condition) of the VOD server 8, as shown in FIG. The third specifying unit 147 inquires of the wireless communication control device 2 about the congestion status of the service provided by the VOD server 8, and acquires information indicating the congestion status from the wireless communication control device 2, thereby determining the congestion status. Identify. The third specifying unit 147 specifies from which VOD server 8 the program content selected by the content selection unit 141 is provided, and specifies the congestion state by inquiring the congestion state in the VOD server 8.

  The notification unit 144 has at least one of the downlink communication speed specified by the first specification unit 142 and the uplink communication speed specified by the second specification unit 143 sufficient for the communication speed required for viewing the program content. If not, information specifying the communication quality of each of the wireless network N1 and the cable television network N2 is notified to the user of the mobile terminal 1, and the user is shown to view the program content via the VOD server 8. To do.

  Specifically, the notification unit 144 notifies the display unit 11 by displaying different messages shown in FIG. 3 as information specifying the communication quality. Further, the notification unit 144 determines whether the downlink communication speed specified by the first specification unit 142 and the uplink communication speed specified by the second specification unit 143 are sufficient, and the third specification unit 147 Based on whether or not the specified congestion status of the VOD server 8 indicates that the VOD server 8 is congested, the program content viewing method when viewing the program content via the VOD server 8 is presented to the user. . More specifically, the notification unit 144 presents the viewing method to the user by causing the display unit 11 to display a message indicating the viewing method when viewing the program content based on the table shown in FIG. .

  In the table shown in FIG. 12, whether the downlink communication speed to the mobile terminal 1 is sufficient, whether the uplink communication speed from the receiver 7 is sufficient, and whether the VOD server 8 is congested. Patterns 1 to 6 are defined based on whether or not.

  Specifically, when the downlink communication speed to the mobile terminal 1 and the uplink communication speed from the receiver 7 are sufficient, the notification unit 144 determines whether or not the VOD server 8 is congested. Do not notify the message.

  When the downlink communication speed to the mobile terminal 1 is sufficient, the uplink communication speed from the receiver 7 is insufficient, and the VOD server 8 is not congested (pattern 1), the notification unit 144 displays the VOD server 8 The display unit 11 displays a link to the VOD service (streaming service) provided by.

  When the downlink communication speed to the portable terminal 1 is sufficient, the uplink communication speed from the receiver 7 is insufficient, and the VOD server 8 is congested (pattern 2), the program content can be viewed by the streaming service. Since it is difficult, the notification unit 144 causes the display unit 11 to display a link to the download service provided by the VOD server 8. Here, the download service is a service that downloads a file corresponding to the program content and allows the program content to be viewed based on the file after the download is completed.

  When the downlink communication speed to the portable terminal 1 is insufficient, the uplink communication speed from the receiver 7 is sufficient, and the VOD server 8 is not congested (pattern 3), viewing of the program content by the streaming service is possible. Since it is difficult, the notification unit 144 causes the display unit 11 to display a link to the download service provided by the VOD server 8. By displaying a link to the download service provided by the VOD server 8 on the display unit 11, it is possible to give a margin to the communication band in the node amplifier 6 associated with the receiver 7.

  When the downlink communication speed to the mobile terminal 1 is insufficient, the uplink communication speed from the receiver 7 is sufficient, and the VOD server 8 is congested (pattern 4), viewing of the program content by the streaming service is possible. Since it is difficult, the notification unit 144 causes the display unit 11 to display a link to the download service provided by the receiver 7.

  When the downlink communication speed to the portable terminal 1 is insufficient, the uplink communication speed from the receiver 7 is insufficient, and the VOD server 8 is not congested (pattern 5), the program content is viewed by the streaming service. Therefore, the notification unit 144 causes the display unit 11 to display a link to the download service provided by the VOD server 8.

  When the downlink communication speed to the mobile terminal 1 is insufficient, the uplink communication speed from the receiver 7 is insufficient, and the VOD server 8 is congested (pattern 6), the notification unit 144 displays the program content. Is displayed on the display unit 11.

  Note that the notification unit 144 determines whether or not the communication quality of each of the wireless network N1 and the cable television network N2 specified after that is improved when viewing of the program viewing content is difficult (in the case of pattern 6). You may judge. When the notification unit 144 determines that the communication quality of each of the wireless network N1 and the cable television network N2 has been improved, the notification unit 144 indicates that the program content can be viewed via the receiver 7 or the VOD server 8. May be notified. In this case, the notification unit 144 may specify the viewing method of the program content based on the table shown in FIG. 12, and present the viewing method to the user. Further, at this stage, the notification unit 144 determines whether or not the program content can be viewed on the mobile terminal 1 based on the competition state in the receiver 7 and specifies the viewing method based on the determination result. Good.

  In this embodiment, the operation of switching the program content acquisition source from the receiver 7 to the VOD server 8 can be performed not only when the program content acquisition starts but also during the reception of the program content. It is. That is, even when the mobile terminal 1 acquires the program content via the receiver 7, the mobile terminal 1 acquires the address of the VOD server 8 for viewing the program content. Then, when displaying the program content stored in the receiver 7 on the display unit 11, the display control unit 146 of the mobile terminal 1 always acquires the elapsed time (reproduction position) from the beginning of the program content. Here, it is assumed that the elapsed time (playback position) from the beginning of the program content can always be acquired even when trick play such as fast forward or rewind is performed by the user's operation.

  When a decrease in the communication speed of the upstream network from the receiver 7 is detected during program content reproduction, the receiver 7 notifies the mobile terminal 1 of notification information indicating the decrease in the communication speed. In response to receiving the notification information, the display control unit 146 of the mobile terminal 1 accesses the address acquired in advance from the communication monitoring device 4 and sends the program content acquisition source from the receiver 7 to the VOD server 8. Switch. At this time, the display control unit 146 sends a playback position change request indicating that the program content is acquired from the elapsed time (playback position) from the beginning of the program content at the time of the last reception from the receiver 7. 8 may be transmitted. By doing in this way, the portable terminal 1 can not only switch to a more appropriate acquisition source according to a change in the environment even while receiving the program content, but also for the program content, It is possible to automatically reproduce from the continuation of the position (reproduction position) that the user was watching.

[Effect in the third embodiment]
As described above, the mobile terminal 1 according to the present embodiment is configured to view program content at least one of the downlink communication speed specified by the first specification unit 142 and the uplink communication speed specified by the second specification unit 143. When the communication speed required for the program is insufficient, the user is presented to view the program content via the VOD server 8. In this way, the user can view the program content via the VOD server 8 even if the uplink communication speed at the receiver 7 is insufficient for viewing the program content. Furthermore, even when the downlink communication speed in the mobile terminal 1 is insufficient, the user can view the program content using the download service.

<Fourth embodiment>
[Acquires program content from the VOD server 8 when the mobile terminal 1 is moving]
Subsequently, a fourth embodiment will be described. When the mobile terminal 1 is moving, the communication quality of the wireless network N1 changes every moment. As a result, the downlink communication speed to the mobile terminal 1 decreases, and there may be a problem in viewing the program content via the receiver 7. On the other hand, the VOD server 8 stores a plurality of quality program contents with different image quality and bit rate for one program content, and can flexibly switch the quality of the program content in response to a decrease in communication speed. (For example, a mechanism called Adaptive Bitrate Streaming can be used). For this reason, in the fourth embodiment, the program content is acquired from the VOD server 8 when the communication quality is not stable, such as when the mobile terminal 1 is moving. About another point, it is the same as the portable terminal 1 which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. Hereinafter, the configuration of the mobile terminal 1 according to the fourth embodiment will be described.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the mobile terminal 1 according to the fourth embodiment. The mobile terminal 1 according to the fourth embodiment further includes a movement determination unit 148.
The movement determination unit 148 determines whether or not the mobile terminal 1 is moving. Specifically, the movement determination unit 148 periodically acquires position information indicating the position of the mobile terminal 1 using a GPS (Global Positioning System) function, and detects a change in position indicated by the position information. It is determined whether or not the mobile terminal 1 is moving.

  The transmission request unit 145 requests the VOD server 8 to transmit the program content when it is determined that the mobile terminal 1 is moving. The VOD server 8 transmits the program content to the mobile terminal 1 while changing the program content to a quality suitable for the communication status with the mobile terminal 1.

[Effects of the fourth embodiment]
As described above, the mobile terminal 1 according to the present embodiment requests the VOD server 8 to transmit program content when it is determined that the mobile terminal 1 is moving. By doing in this way, even when the downlink communication speed to the portable terminal 1 is deteriorated in the wireless network N1 due to the movement of the portable terminal 1, the VOD server 8 supports the communication speed. Since the program content is transmitted to the mobile terminal 1 while changing the quality, the program content can be viewed stably.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated using embodiment, the technical scope of this invention is not limited to the range as described in the said embodiment. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications or improvements can be added to the above embodiment. In particular, the specific embodiments of the distribution / integration of the devices are not limited to those illustrated above, and all or a part thereof may be added in arbitrary units according to various additions or according to functional loads. It can be configured functionally or physically distributed and integrated.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the radio | wireless communication control apparatus 2 was provided and connected to CMTS5 of a cable television network, it is not restricted to this. For example, the wireless communication control device 2 may be provided connected to a communication device such as a switch, which is a point through which traffic passes.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Portable terminal, 11 ... Display part, 12 ... Input part, 13 ... Memory | storage part, 14 ... Control part, 141 ... Content selection part, 142 ... 1st specification , 143 ... second specifying unit, 144 ... notifying unit, 145 ... transmission request unit, 146 ... display control unit, 147 ... third specifying unit, 148 ... movement determining unit DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 2 ... Wireless communication control apparatus, 3 ... Wireless base station, 4 ... Communication monitoring apparatus, 41 ... Memory | storage part, 411 ... Node traffic DB, 42 ... Control part, 421. ..Monitoring unit, 422 ... acquisition unit, 423 ... transmission unit, 5 ... CMTS, 6 ... node amplifier, 7 ... receiver, 71 ... storage unit, 711 ... Program content DB, 72 ... control unit, 721 ... storage control unit, 722 ... remote viewing reception unit, 72 ... acquisition unit, 724 ... communication speed specifying unit, 8 ... VOD server, N1 ... wireless network, N2 ... cable television network, N3 ... network, S ... content viewing system

Claims (11)

A content viewing system comprising a mobile terminal capable of receiving the content from the receiver via a wireless network and a network to which a receiver for receiving the content is connected, and a content providing apparatus different from the receiver There,
The portable terminal is
A movement determination unit for determining whether or not the mobile terminal is moving;
When the movement determination unit determines that the portable terminal is not moving, the mobile terminal requests the receiver to transmit the content, and provides the content when the portable terminal is determined to be moving. A transmission request unit that requests the device to transmit the content;
Have
When the content providing apparatus is requested to transmit content from the mobile terminal, the content providing apparatus transmits the content to the mobile terminal.
Content viewing system. The content providing device stores a plurality of quality contents corresponding to the one content, and when transmission of the content is requested from the mobile terminal, the mobile terminal among the plurality of quality contents corresponding to the content Transmitting content corresponding to the quality suitable for the communication status with the terminal to the mobile terminal;
The content viewing system according to claim 1. A portable terminal capable of receiving the content from the receiver via a wireless network and a network to which a receiver for receiving the content is connected;
A movement determination unit for determining whether or not the mobile terminal is moving;
When the movement determining unit determines that the portable terminal is not moving, the receiver requests the receiver to transmit the content, and when the portable terminal is determined to be moving, the receiver A transmission request unit for requesting transmission of the content to a content providing apparatus different from
A mobile terminal comprising: A first specifying unit that specifies a downlink communication speed to the mobile terminal in the wireless network;
A second specifying unit for specifying an uplink communication speed from the receiver in the network;
Further comprising
When it is determined that the mobile terminal is not moving, the transmission request unit specifies the quality of the content suitable for viewing the content based on the downlink communication speed and the uplink communication speed. Requesting the receiver to transmit the content of the identified quality,
The mobile terminal according to claim 3. The first specifying unit acquires information indicating a communication type of the wireless network, and specifies the downlink communication speed based on the communication type.
The mobile terminal according to claim 4. The wireless network is provided with a wireless communication control device that controls communication in the wireless network,
The first specifying unit specifies the downlink communication speed by measuring a round trip time with the wireless communication control device;
The mobile terminal according to claim 4 or 5. The network is provided with a communication monitoring device for monitoring communication in the network,
The second specifying unit specifies the uplink communication speed by acquiring information indicating the uplink communication speed from the communication monitoring device.
The mobile terminal according to any one of claims 4 to 6. Based on the downlink communication speed and the uplink communication speed, a notification unit that notifies the user of the mobile terminal of information specifying the communication quality of each of the wireless network and the network;
Further comprising
The portable terminal of any one of Claim 4 to 7. The notifying unit communicates each of the wireless network and the network when at least one of the downlink communication speed and the uplink communication speed is insufficient for a communication speed required for viewing the content. Notifying the user of the mobile terminal of information specifying the quality, and presenting the user with the content to be viewed via a content providing apparatus different from the receiver,
The mobile terminal according to claim 8. A third specifying unit for specifying a load status of the content providing apparatus;
The notifying unit presents a viewing method of the content when viewing the content via the content providing device based on a load situation of the content providing device;
The mobile terminal according to claim 8 or 9. A content receiving method in which a mobile terminal receives content,
Determining whether the mobile terminal is moving;
When the mobile terminal determines that the mobile terminal is not moving, the mobile terminal requests a receiver connected to the network and receiving the content to transmit the content via a wireless network and the network. Requesting the content providing apparatus different from the receiver to transmit the content via the wireless network when it is determined that it is moving;
When the receiver is requested to transmit the content from the portable terminal, the receiver transmits the content to the portable terminal via the wireless network and the network;
When the content providing apparatus is requested to transmit the content from the mobile terminal, the content providing apparatus transmits the content to the mobile terminal via the wireless network;
The portable terminal receiving the content from the receiver or the content providing device;
A content receiving method comprising:

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